Foxconn workers operate in constant fear of physical beating, according to a large new study. (Source: China Divide)

Multi-billionaire Foxconn CEO, shown here with his young bride, denies that his company abuses its workers. His company released a report indicating that the surveyed workers were lying about abusive work practices. (Source: Baidu)

Company insists that it has a "safe and positive" working environment

Last
week wasn't exactly the best of time for Taiwan's Hon Hai
Precision Industry's subsidiary Foxconn, to put it nicely. The
electronics manufacturer, which manufactures products for Apple,
Sony, Nokia, Nintendo, Microsoft, Dell, HP, and others came under
intense criticism after a massive
new study was released, chronicling vast abuse of
employees.

Foxconn appears to be growingly at odds with
China's ruling communist party. The government-controlled,
Beijing-based Global
Times leaked
the report according
toThe
New York Observer.

The
study, carried out by 60 teachers and students from 20 Universities
in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, depicts hellish working
conditions at the electronics giant's factories. Of the 1,736
workers surveyed, 54.6 percent felt wronged by management and 38
percent claimed the company invaded their privacy (most workers live
in cities run by the company).

But most shocking, 16.4 percent
-- roughly 284 of the respondents -- report experiencing "some
kind of corporal violence" at the hands of the company's army of
security personnel. This illustrates that the video
of guards beating a Foxconn worker might not have been an
isolated incident, but rather a more frequent occurrence.

The
report also highlights how the company is making interns work longer
than the 8 hour shifts they signed on for a day. And it
provides its interns no medical benefits, so if they're among the
many workers injured on the line daily, they have to pay for their
own treatment. The report also revealed that Foxconn lied
about raising employees' pay 30 percent, with the average raise
only amounting to 9.1 percent.

Foxconn issued a response this
week that can be summed up in two words -- complete denial.

The
manufacturer says it "categorically rejects" the report and
insists that its 937,000+ employees work under "safe and
positive" working conditions. The company writes in the
press release, "We are responding to the media coverage because
we believe it is important to correct these unsubstantiated
allegations which many media outlets are treating as facts without
giving our company an opportunity to present our side of the
issue."

Terry Gou, Foxconn's CEO, has been trying to
promote the notion that his company is a humane workplace. A
couple months ago he invited reporters to the suicide-prone Shenzhen
factory, showing off an Olympic-sized swimming pool and other
perks.